Self-Publishing Guide for Authors

If you are considering self-publishing or have already taken the plunge and hope to have your book stocked in bookshops here are some helpful pointers that will make it more likely for your book to be stocked by us and other bookshops.

We are book mad and love selling great books to our customers but are offered thousands of new titles each year and can only take a small proportion of what is offered to us. At The Edge of the World Bookshop we understand that approaching the commercial world with your new book can be a very daunting experience. You have often spent years writing it and have invested your own time and money. We hope we can help steer you through the process.

Here are some things that you need to think about before we will consider stocking your book:

How much does your book retail at? Is this price competitive with other similar books?

What is your trade price? A margin of no less than 40% should be offered.

Does the format include a spine and a thirteen digit ISBN?

We purchase any books that we have in our shop, but they are generally on sale or return, so you must be able to reimburse us for any unsold returns after a period of time of our choosing. Can you meet this requirement?

What category would you put your book in?

Who is your target market?

Is there a local angle?

What press and media would you do to promote your book?

Is your book stocked with wholesalers Bertrams or Gardners at a standard discount with returns? (This makes re-ordering and customer orders much easier for us).

Does the print quality and design of the book and its cover stand up to other books in our shop?

You will need to satisfy all of these requirements before we consider stocking your book. We are a small shop, however, and stock about a hundred new titles per month of the thousand or so that we are offered by publishers.

If you have carefully considered all of the above, feel free to contact James or Rachael at The Edge of the World Bookshop to discuss matters further. Good luck!